Returning Storms
by kate-dammit-run
Summary: An attempt on an FBI agent's life reveals a devious plot that puts even more agents' lives in danger, including one of the of them. Will the team be able to solve this case in time to stop whoever is behind it and save one of their own? Or is it already too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Returning Storms**

**Chapter 1**

**Summary:** An attempt on an FBI agent's life reveals a devious plot that puts even more agents' lives in danger, including one of the of them. Will the team be able to solve this case in time to stop whoever is behind it and save one of their own? Or is it already too late?

**A/N:** I know I shouldn't be starting another WIP when I have one that I have been ignoring for months, but this just came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. It's going to be a short one though. Just a few chapters. Focuses on the whole team with Jeller obviously being the main ship.

* * *

There were agents all around her. There were medical staff all around her, too. And everyone was saying one thing or another, talking over each other, and barking out orders. But Jane could barely register any of it.

Jane could barely register what they was saying— even when speaking directly to her. Just as she could barely register Reade a few steps away warding off the journalist and his cameraman who' somehow managed to get onto their floor. "What do you say about the news coming out saying that—"

"No comment," Reade said, trying his best to remain as calm as possible as he led the journalist back towards the exit. At that moment, he wished more than anything that he was not the assistant director of the FBI and just a guy who can break that journalist's arm and shove that microphone down his throat.

* * *

Jane could barely even register the way Allie had wrapped an arm around her and turned her away f rom the camera that was dying to capture a shot of the devastated and shellshocked wife of the FBI special agent who'd just been shot three times in the chest in what was being reported to be a targeted assassination attempt.

Jane closed her eyes, no longer trying to stop the tears from flowing, and the only thing she could think about— that her mind had been able to register in the past thirty minutes— was that Kurt had been taken into his third surgery in six hours and all that the doctors could offer was that "they were doing the best that they could".

The only other thing she could think of was the last conversation that they'd had— some eight hours ago—and the things that they'd said. They never fought usually, not the kind of marital fights people often had, but that morning they did. She'd been irritable for a few days and he'd been acting strange since he'd gotten a phonemail earlier that morning that he'd avoided telling her about.

Eight Hours Earlier

"Seriously, Kurt," she'd sighed as she pulled out the items from the grocery bags he'd placed on the kitchen counter upon returning, "I said I needed shampoo not conditioner. Is it too hard to tell the difference? It says it right there on the label."

"It was an honest mistake, Jane," Kurt replied in annoyance, "it's not the end of the world."

"And you forgot the potatoes," Jane huffed in frustration, "Allie, Connor and Bethany ate going to be here in a few hours and we're not even—"

"Fine, fine," Kurt threw his arms up and walked over, showing the conditioner back into the bag, "I'll go back and get the potatoes and exchange this for your precious shampoo!"

He slammed the door behind him and left.

And that was the last she'd seen of him or said to him until two hours later.

Present

"Of course," Allie spoke into the phone, "we'll let you know the minute we hear anything. Have a safe flight."

Allie put the phone back into her pocket and returned to her spot next to Jane in the hospital waiting area. "Sarah's boarding now," she told Jane, who in return just nodded absently, her eyes glued to the door from which she was praying a doctor would step out soon with new— any news at this point.

"Weitz! What the hell!" Reade called out as the NYO director exited the elevators onto the floor, "I thought we agreed no press. Why am I having to deal with them shoving mics and cameras in my face?"

Weitz put his hands up in defense. "We're doing everything we can downstairs. But some hospital staff are helping them sneak through."

"We need this floor in lock down," Reade ordered one the agents on the floor, "no one in or out except the medical staff we've vetted and approved. This isn't a joke!"

"Any news on Weller?" Weitz asked, shooting a look towards Jane.

Reade shook his head. "Nothing yet," he said, "he's still in surgery. Third one."

"What about the shooter?" Weitz asked.

And again Reade shook his head. "Nothing from the scene to help us with anything yet. All we can tell so far is that it's a professional job," Reade said, "someone clearly hired an assassin to take down Kurt. We just don't know who or why or where they are. And that's why we can't have just anyone walking onto this floor."

Reade dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Rich and Patterson are back at the office trying to find out something… anything… and Tasha is still at the site. We should have something soon."

"I hope," he added as he glared over towards Jane.

Seven Hours Earlier

"Mama! Mama! Look!" Bethany bounced on Jane's lap and turned the phone around to show her mother the screen, "look at this funny picture me and Mama Jane took!"

Allie looked at the screen and smiled at the faces they'd made in that picture— the fiftieth selfie they'd take since the three of them had arrived at Kurt and Jane's.

"That's hilarious, B!" Allie said.

"Let's take another one, Mama Jane," Bethany announced as she turned the phone back around and pulled another silly face. Jane smiled, and then matched Bethany's look, sticking her tongue out and blowing her cheeks.

"Ok, B, you gotta stop now and go clean up," Allie said, "Daddy's gonna be home soon and we'll have lunch."

"Ok, Mama," Bethany said, and then handed Jane the phone and hopped off her lap.

Jane watched her leave and then looked at her phone. Kurt should have been back by now. The store was literally two blocks away. She tried to suppress her anger, trying to find excuses for him other than him just doing this to piss her off because she made him go back. She knew it wasn't like him, but he hadn't been acting like himself all morning. She put the phone and got up, heading towards the kitchen to check on lunch— which was still waiting for the potatoes to be complete.

Present

"That was Tasha," Patterson said as she hung up the phone, "she's gonna stop by the hospital on her way back here."

"Please tell me she has some good news," Rich sighed.

Patterson shook her head. "Nothing new," she said, her tone almost defeated.

"Then it's up to us to find out something helpful," Rich replied, trying to add an upbeat tone to his voice.

"From what?" Patterson said.

"Come on, now, Patsy Pat," Rich said, "it's not like you to act so defeated! You're the MVP, you always have a trick up your sleeve!"

"I'm all out of tricks, Rich," Patterson said, "I honestly—"

"Don't you dare say it!" He reprimanded her, "not now, not about this!"

He walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "This is Kurt we're talking about," he said firmly, "we're not giving up on him. Not now and not ever. You hear me?"

Patterson nodded. "Good," Rich said, "now go back to your computer and figure something out because we will get to the bottom of this. They might not let us into the OR but I'll be damned if we just sit here and let that bastard get away with trying to kill one of us!"

Patterson gave him a weak smile and walked back towards her computer. With a new found determination, she started working again.

A few minutes later, she looked up. "This is weird," she said.

"What? What is it?" Rich asked.

"Kurt got a call this morning from Catherine Locke," Patterson said.

"Who's Catherine Locke?" Rich asked.

"She's Thomas Locke's wife," Patterson explained, "he was an agent here when I first started. He left the bureau eight years ago, I think."

"Is Weller still in contact with him?" Rich asked.

Patterson shrugged. "I'm not sure," she admitted, "I've not heard him mention him for years. Why would his wife call Kurt?"

She went back to her computer and it only took her a minute to look back towards Rich with wide eyes. "Thomas Locke suffered a stroke last night," she said.

"Ok… where are you going with this?" Rich asked, his interest peaked as he walked over to her.

Patterson started typing quickly again, trying to catch up her typing and search with her thoughts. "The main thing that connected Weller to Locke was that they were both part of this elite task force," Patterson explained, "it was almost a covert op that lasted eighteen months."

She turned and looked at Rich. "They were the ones who took down the Williams crime family."

"You mean… that huge story from like ten years ago? Fifty two people indicted?" Rich asked.

"Exactly," Patterson said, "Mayfair headed the task force. They were seven agents and two informants. Locke and Kurt were two of them… Oh my god."

"What is it?" Rich asked, taking in the way Patterson's face had suddenly turned white.

"Lisa James… she was one of the agents," Patterson whispered, "she was in a car accident yesterday morning."

"This cannot be a coincidence," Rich replied.

"No," Patterson said, "no, it can't be."

"Who else was in the task force?" Rich asked nervously.

"Besides Kurt, Locke and James… there was Don Shipley, Colton Barry, Doug Jones, and Allison Knight."

Seven Hours Ago

"Where the hell is Kurt?" Jane muttered to herself as she pulled the roast out of the oven. She'd been calling him nonstop in the past hour but his phone was sending her straight to voice mail.

"When's daddy coming home, Mama Jane?" Bethany popped up from behind the counter with an innocent smile.

"Soon, Little Bee," Jane replied, "I'm sure he's going to opening this door any minute now—"

Just then, the door bell rang. He forgot his keys too, she bought to herself as she placed the food on the table and started to walk over.

"It's ok," Allie called out as she was closer to the door, "I got it."

Allie opened the door, just like Jane expecting to see Kurt, but instead, she came face to face with two uniformed police officers.

"Mrs. Weller?" The older officer said.

Allie frowned and shook her head, looking over her shoulder to where Jane was approaching.

"I'm Mrs. Weller," Jane replied anxiously, "what do you need, officers?"

"We're here about your husband."

Present

"I don't understand," Jane looked up at Reade, "someone is coming after Kurt and these agents for a case from ten years ago?"

"That's Patterson's theory," Reade replied, "yes."

"Who is it?" Jane asked.

"We don't know yet," Reade admitted, "but for now, we're reaching out to all of them to get them to safety," he said and then turned to Allie, "that includes you too, Allie."

"No," Allie shook her head, "I'm not leaving."

"If Patterson's right, then you're a target, too," Reade argued, "you need to—"

"I need to stay here," she said stubbornly, "make sure Bethany is safe. She's at my mom's. Send a detail there. But I'm not leaving."

"Allie, you have to—" Jane turned to her to say.

"I'm staying with you, Jane," Allie said, "he might not be my husband, but he's Bethany's father. I can't—"

"Ok," Reade said, "we'll inform Connor of what's going on and I'll send agents to watch the house. This floor is secure now," he added, "we're only allowing hospital staff we've vetted and there are more agents here than in SIOC."

Jane and Allie both nodded. "Sarah's—"

"I know," Reade said, "I am sending agents to pick her up from the airport and bring her straight here."

"Thank you," Jane whispered.

"I'm gonna go back to the office now," Reade said, "now that we have something to work with… I'm more useful there than I am here."

Half an hour later, almost nine hours since Kurt was shot a few steps away from their home, Jane and Allie still sat in the waiting room, with nothing new from Kurt's doctors. Jane had said nothing since Reade had left. And Allie was sure she had not eaten or had anything to drink all day— the lunch she'd prepared was still sitting on the kitchen counter, completely forgotten.

Allie grabbed the water bottle she'd bought hours ago for Jane and once again tried to hand it to her. "Jane—"

But Jane just shook her head and looked at Allie. Her eyes were red, cheeks streaked with tears and skin terrifyingly pale.

"I can't lose him, Allie," Jane cried, "I can't… I don't know what I'd do without him… he's… he's my whole world."

* * *

_So what do you guys think? Worth giving this a shot? It'll probably be four or five chapters max and even though Kurt and Jane had little to do in this chapter, they will play a bigger role later... you know when Jane isn't in shock and Kurt isn't in surgery._


	2. Chapter 2

The hospital floor they FBI had secured was much calmer now that the medical staff were only down to the few that were in charge of Kurt and the rest were the agents tasked with securing the floor and keeping everyone safe. And it felt especially calmer now to Jane now that Kurt was out of surgery and moved to his room. She sat by his side, her hand clasping his tightly, and watched him closely. She tried not to think of some of the words the doctors had said to her after they'd finished the last surgery.

_Touch and go._

_Almost lost him once or twice._

_It could have gone either way._

And she tried to focus on what was in front of her now. He was alive. And he was going to make it. The doctors made sure she understood it would be a long journey before he was himself again but she clung on to the fact that since he'd been out of surgery, he had started breathing on his own again and even though he was still unconscious, there was no reason he wouldn't be waking up in the next few hours.

She was not going to lie. It helped having Allie with her— the woman was strong and compassionate and exactly who Jane needed by her side at a time like this. It also helped that Sarah was there now as well, and to Jane's surprise, her sister in law was the calmest and most reasonable since she'd arrived.

Jane raised Kurt's hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles gently. Behind her, she could hear Sarah telling Allie about Sawyer's last football game and Allie talk to Sarah about Bethany, showing her all the new pictures and videos on her phone. Jane listened to them talking and felt a warmth within her. She closed her eyes and smiled, keeping the back of Kurt's hand pressed to her lips— she felt so unbelievably lucky to be part of this family.

Back at the NYO, Reade, Tasha, Patterson and Rich were working on locating the rest of the team that had worked on the Williams takedown and get them to safety now that they were pretty sure someone was targeting them.

The image on Patterson's screen had gotten clearer over the past hours. They knew the whereabouts of Kurt Weller and Allison Knight— and of course, Bethany Mayfair. Don Shipley was the first they could get in touch with. He was in the city and instead of accepting Reade's order of having agents pick him and transfer him to a safe house, he managed to convince Reade to allow him a visitor pass to the NYO so that he may help with the investigation. Given that very few people had any access or clearance to that case file and that very few current agents and FBI staff had worked on the case, Reade accepted his offer. Patterson had also sent agents to Lisa James, who was lying in a coma in a Philadelphia hospital. Unfortunately, Thomas Locke did not survive the stroke. Patterson had arranged that the autopsy be done by the FBI to confirm her theories that there was foul play involved in his stroke. As for Colton Barry, they found him vacationing in the French Riviera and was being transferred to the closest US consulate with his family.

The two informants who had helped down bring down the Williams family— Dan Williams and Tina Douglas— were both in WitSec and were being transferred to safe houses as well.

That left only Doug Jones, the final member of the task force. The team had managed to get in touch with his office and were told he was on a private plane heading towards LA. Hoping he would not be targeted on the plane, Reade sent a team to meet him at the private air strip he was meant to land at in two hours.

Back at the hospital, the latest update on Kurt's condition, according to the doctors, was good news. Even though he was still unconscious, his vitals were improving and their fear of infection has since been subdued.

"He's a fighter," one of the nurses said as the medical team left the room, and the three women in there all smiled and nodded.

"From the looks of it," another nurse whispered to her as the stepped out, "he has a lot to fight for."

Relieved by the news, Jane watched the medical team leave and then turned around slightly in her seat, taking Kurt's back in hers but not turning her back to Allie and Sarah anymore. She was so relieved to have them there, especially watching as their own smiles matched hers at the good news regarding Kurt's recovery. The three women fell into a comfortable conversation, one which quickly became about Kurt, with Sarah sharing stories about her brother from their youth and from when she first moved to the city and he took her in.

Allie was also sharing stories, staying away from anything that had to do with her and Kurt dating, and more about what he was like at Quantico and his first years as an agent and how he soared into stardom at the NYO. Jane listened to their stories in silence, smiling at all their anecdotes, all things reminding her of the things she loved about him, and new things that made him fall even more in love with him.

"I'm gonna stretch my legs and get us some coffee," Sarah said as she stood up, "would you guys like anything else? Something to eat?"

"No, thanks," Allie said.

"Coffee's perfect," Jane added.

"He's gonna be okay," Allie said, sitting back and turning her gaze towards Kurt.

"He better be," Jane added, some levity sneaking into her tone.

They sat in silence for a moment before Jane spoke again. "We had a fight," Jane said, "before you guys showed up… the last minutes we had together before he was shot were spent with fighting… and over the dumbest thing ever."

"Oh, Jane," Allie said, "I'm sure whatever was said between you, he didn't—"

Jane nodded. "Yeah," she said, "I know."

They were silent again and this time it was Allie who perked up with an idea. "By the way, Bethany's been calling for hours wanting to talk to you," she said, "are you in the mood to—"

"Of course!" Jane replied quickly. She knew she was in no position earlier to talk to the little girl but she was now and she knew talking to Bee would definitely help keep her mood elevated.

They video called Connor's number and both women were smiling widely when the little girl answered with her bright smile.

"Mama! Mama Jane!" she squealed in excitement.

"Hey, Little Bee."

"Hello, baby girl!"

Bethany's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Where's daddy?" She asked with a pout, "daddy Connor said you were with daddy."

The two women shared a look and then Jane tried to explain. "That's right, Bee, we are with daddy," she said, "but he can't come to the phone now."

"Why?" Bethany asked.

"Well, do you remember that time you fell off the monkey bar at the park and had to go to the hospital?" Allie told her gently.

"Yeah," Bethany replied.

"Well, daddy is in the hospital now too," Allie explained.

"Did daddy fall off the monkey bar, too?" Bethany asked innocently and both Jane and Allie chuckled.

"Something like that," Jane said, "he's hurt a little but but there's no need to worry. The doctors took care of him and he's going to be just fine."

"Did they give him a needle?" Bethany asked.

"Yes, they did," Allie said.

"And he's just sleeping now because he needs to rest," Jane said, "but he will wake up soon and he will call you immediately."

"Promise, Mama Jane?"

"I promise, Bee," Jane replied.

Rich looked around the room, the four of them now joined by Don Shipley and Weitz and took a deep breath.

"Doug Jones's plane never landed in DC," he announced.

"Excuse me, what?" Tasha replied.

"His plane that was supposed to land in DC," Rich repeated, "it did not arrive there."

"Where did it land?" Reade asked.

"It didn't," Rich said, "it didn't land anywhere."

"I don't understand," Weitz said, "where is it?"

"No one knows," Patterson replied.

"I don't understand either," Don added.

"How does a plane—"

"We honestly have no explanation," Rich said, "except that forty minutes before it was scheduled to land, communications were lost and then it disappeared off the radars."

"How does a plane disappear?" Weitz asked.

Rich shrugged and waved his arms in the air. "I mean, I can think of twelve different ways off the top of my head to make people think a plane has disappeared—"

"Did it crash?" Reade asked.

Patterson shook her head. "No news of any plane crash," she said.

"Then… where is it?" Tasha asked in frustration and both Patterson and Rich again shrugged.

"Wait… is that the same Doug Jones who is supposedly joining the presidential race?" Rich asked.

"Yeah," Reade said.

"Sleazy, self serving, parasite of a human being," Weitz mumbled.

"That's rich coming from you," Tasha chimed in. Before Weitz could reply, Reade came between them.

"Guys, let's focus on this now," he said, "let's find this plane and find Doug Jones. And more importantly, let's find out who the hell is coming after the task force."

The team settled down for a moment and then Tasha took charge of the breakdown of what she'd arrived at in her investigation. "I've been looking at the Williams family and all their associates," she said, "of the fifty two that were indicted, two cut a deal. I've got two agent looking into them and tracking their recent activity to flag any suspicious behavior."

She clicked on her tablet and a family hart came up on the screen. "The others were all sent to prison," she said, "four have since died— two due to health purposes and two because they're extremely nice guys who made absolutely no enemies behind bars."

"As for everyone else, we're looking at everyone's recent visitors, what they've been up to, who they've befriended while incarcerated and who of their associates on the inside have since been released."

"And finally, we're looking at extended family members, former lovers, friends, and associates who weren't sent away who might be looking for revenge," Tasha said, "but it's a huge list of people so it's taking a minute."

"Good work, Zapata," Reade said, "Don, you join her team. You know these people better than anyone, if anything or anyone raises any flags, you'll notice them first. Focus on people who might be looking for revenge, people who lost a lot… and people with a reason to have waited ten years to seek that revenge."

The team dispersed and as they broke apart, Reade turned back to Rich and Patterson. "You guys find that plane," he told them, "and Weitz, use your DC contacts to find out anything you can on Jones. His disappearance just complicates this whole thing."

"Yes, boss," Weitz joked and left the lab.

In the early hours of the morning, Jane and Sarah had finally convinced Allie to go home. Sarah had fallen asleep on a row of chairs she'd convinced the nurses to drag into the room for her. Jane was still sitting by Kurt's bedside, his hand in hers, but she too had finally succumbed to the exhaustion. Her head lay by Kurt's shoulder on the bed, her body twisted awkwardly in that position, but still she was sleeping. It was just before sunrise when she felt a twitch against her fingers. Her eyes shot open and her head snapped up.

"Kurt?" She whispered, squeezing back against the twitch she felt and she held her breath for a moment before it happened again— a weak with of his fingers but it was there.

"Kurt? Please," she whispered, "please, I need you to wake up. I need you to open your eyes for me."

She brushed her free hand against his cheek, sighing in relief that his skin no longer felt too warm under her tough.

"Come back to me, love."


End file.
